I recently pondered an infographic that enumerated the reasons why people don’t recycle at work. One of the top reasons was “the recycling plant isn’t easily accessible.” When I read that, I thought about the amount that the Kate's staff manages to recycle without the benefit of a curbside recycling program or a nearby recycling plant ...

Acting as recycling coordinator at Kate’s Real Food is merely the tip of the iceberg for Jill-of-all-trades employee Katie Buydos. She has a lot of other high level stuff going on. When we summon IT, it’s KatieB. When there are events to coordinate or demos to set up and administer, that is also KatieB. When we need to choose an office soundtrack, DJ KatieB to the rescue (She likes French house music, but don’t hold it against her.).

KatieB possesses the ability to problem-solve her way out of many challenging situations–and does so with a consistent sense of humor. This alone qualifies her to handle our recycling needs. At the Kate’s Real Food World Headquarters in Victor, Idaho, we recycle paper, cardboard, aluminum, Styrofoam packing peanuts, plastic, and glass. This stuff isn’t exactly placed in fancy tubs and then moved to the curb. It’s a little more complicated than that. This is where KatieB comes in ...

After sorting our office materials, that girl trucks it out the door. She then heads to the warehouse to pull their recyclables. As you can see, things aren’t always sorted. But KatieB can handle it!

The final stage of this effort involves KatieB hauling all our "garbage" to a site that takes recyclable materials. The transfer station outside of Driggs takes the materials that we seek to recycle at Kate's.

And yes, we do have KatieB. But if she weren’t on top of it, someone else would carry the torch.

It’s part of who we are as a company, but also a part of who we are as individuals on this planet–a planet made up of countless individuals. If many of them just put thought into action, imagine what could be accomplished?

Some may think our enthusiasm here at Kate’s, and even KatieB’s happy involvement, is singular to our situation. But we are not convinced ... Instead, we believe that we all have it in us to make a difference and #BetheChange this planet needs.

So next time you position your arm to toss a can into the trash, ask yourself, "What Would KatieB Do?"

Kate's Real Food

At Kate’s, we don’t skimp. Our wholesome energy bars are small batch made from organic ingredients. For outdoor play that takes you deep into the backcountry or for grab-and-go sustenance, you can count on Kate’s whole food bars to deliver.